SmithsonianCampaign SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE

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Milton Williams
7 years ago
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around you can help to create an unprecedented the world can learn about the richness opportunity to explore and revel in African and diversity of the African American American history and culture.

2 Lonnie G. Bunch director National Museum of African American History and Culture Leadership Message this new Museum will be a place where Through the Smithsonian Campaign, all Americans and visitors from around you can help to create an unprecedented the world can learn about the richness opportunity to explore and revel in African and diversity of the African American American history and culture. experience, what it means to their lives Your gift will enable the museum to tell a and how it helped shape this nation. compelling part of the nation s story through The extraordinary museum building interactive exhibitions, featuring new research on the National Mall will be a beacon and new technologies, and to engage new that reminds us of who we were, the audiences now and for generations to come. challenges we still face and what we We invite your support. can become. Thank you. Our goal $250 million The National Museum of African American History and Culture represents a national initiative of profound cultural importance. It will tell a more complete American story by looking at the nation s history through an African American lens. The Smithsonian Campaign will support the construction of the new museum and create exhibitions and public programs designed to stimulate a dialog about race in America and foster a spirit of reconciliation and healing. 1

Case for Support Building a New National Museum We invite you to invest in building the museum, growing our national collection of African American treasures and presenting America s story in all its

3 Case for Support Building a New National Museum We invite you to invest in building the museum, growing our national collection of African American treasures and presenting America s story in all its diversity. Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom: The Era of Segregation , gallery In the years after Reconstruction, African Americans not only survived the challenges set before them, they crafted an important role for themselves in the nation. Building a New National Museum The National Museum of African American History and Culture was established by an Act of Congress in 2003 as the Smithsonian s 19th museum. It will be the nation s largest museum devoted exclusively to exploring African American history and culture. The museum already exists with a temporary gallery in the Smithsonian s National Museum of American History, through a wide range of public programs and an online presence. Its nearly 400,000-square-foot building will open on the National Mall in The new museum will bridge a major gap in our national memory by focusing on a wide arc of history slavery, reconstruction, the Harlem Renaissance, migrations to the North and West, segregation, the Civil Rights Movement and beyond. It also will address contemporary issues and celebrate African American creativity and cultural expression. Capital Campaign The American people, through federal appropriations, are providing half the funds for the building s architectural design and construction and the installation of permanent exhibitions. The museum is raising the balance through private philanthropy. Permanent Galleries Exhibitions in the 11 galleries will be organized to trace American history from the 15th century to the present. They include Slavery and Freedom; Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom: The Era of Segregation ; Beyond 1968; Making a Way Out of No Way; Power of Place; Musical Crossroads; Military Gallery; Visual Arts; Taking the Stage; Sports; and Cultural Expressions. Public Spaces The three-tiered building with its distinctive bronzecolored corona was designed as a green building to achieve LEED gold certification. Other design elements will reflect the faith, hope and resiliency of the African American spirit. Campaign gifts will help the museum to become a 21st-century center for learning, collaboration and exchange. 2 3

Our Campaign Priorities By investing in this museum, I want to help ensure that we both honor and preserve our culture and history, so that the stories of who we are will live on for generations to

4 Our Campaign Priorities By investing in this museum, I want to help ensure that we both honor and preserve our culture and history, so that the stories of who we are will live on for generations to come. oprah Winfrey, Founding Donor The nearly 400,000-square-foot museum will have a three-tiered, bronze-colored corona and other architectural elements designed to express the faith, hope and resiliency of the African American spirit. Our priority is to fund capital costs associated with building the new national museum. Museum Galleries, Exhibitions and public spaces Gift opportunities with naming recognition start at $3 million and will fund permanent galleries, museum exhibitions and public spaces, such as founding donor walls, theaters, a museum shop, classrooms, a cafeteria, the central hall and the VIP Reception Suite and Terrace. GIFT OPPORTUNITIES WITH PERMANENT RECOGNITION Founding Donors $1 million or more Leadership Donors $100,000 to $999,000 The 2015 Society $25,000 to $99,000 For more information, call or visit smithsoniancampaign.org. The Smithsonian Campaign will transform a national treasure into a catalyst for change. Please join us as we raise $1.5 billion to spark discovery, tell America s story, inspire lifelong learning and reach people everywhere. The National Museum of African American History and Culture is raising $250 million of the Smithsonian Campaign s overall $1.5 billion goal. SmithsonianCampaign 4

5 The American people, through Congressional appropriations, are financing half the cost of the museum s construction on the National Mall. The museum is raising the balance through private philanthropy. COVER The National Museum of African American History and Culture s permanent home will open in 2016, adjacent to the Washington Monument. Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture nmaahc.si.edu office of advancement MRC 509, PO Box Washington, DC

SmithsonianCampaign SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE

SmithsonianCampaign SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE Leadership Message Lonnie G. Bunch, III Founding director National Museum of African American History and Culture